The Sixers Expect Zhaire Smith to be Home By Christmas

According to philly.com, The 76ers expect injured rookie Zhaire Smith to be available to play in a game around Christmas. The December 25th target date will be his return from an August 9th surgery to repair an acute Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. The timeline is dependent on having zero setbacks.

The recovery time for this kind of injury is about half of the projection for Smith, but there is no reason to rush the rookie back to a roster that is pretty loaded in a league where nothing matters before February. Zhaire Smith will also see time in the G-League with the Delaware Blue Coats.

If Smith outperforms expectations in the G-League you could see a brand new timeline emerge. For now, patience is key for the 1st round pick from Texas Tech.

The Sixers are also not unfamiliar with top picks missing time in their rookie years with Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, and Furkan Korkmaz all missing time in their debut seasons.